


tabaco & chanel

by ttamarrindo



Series: spellbound [2]
Category: Day6 (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Drabble Collection, M/M, Magical Realism, witch!jae, witch!wonpil
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-06
Updated: 2018-01-11
Packaged: 2019-02-28 22:33:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13281234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ttamarrindo/pseuds/ttamarrindo
Summary: a series of drabbles expanding on thecaralunauniverse.





	1. headaches

**Author's Note:**

> i've seem to hit somewhat of a writer's block so i did an exercise on free writing and this happened / sighs. i recommend reading the main story first! this won't make much sense otherwise. title is taken from bacilo's song of the same.

“hyung,” brian starts carefully when he sees jae reach up to rub at the bridge of his nose for the third time in as many minutes. the uni library is quiet enough for brian to hear the small exhale of breath jae lets out as he puts his pen down and looks up at him over the rim of his glasses. 

“yeah?” jae answers and brian’s worry only increases at the tiredness the older doesn’t quite manage to hide. 

“is it your head again?” brian makes his voice go soft, undemanding, but jae grimaces all the same. he doesn’t like being reminded of the shaky hold he has over his magic, always huffs when wonpil comments on it; likes it even less when the already flimsy leash he keeps around it becomes so frayed even brian notices it beginning to snap. 

“i just...” jae sighs, seems to give up on pretense when brian runs a thumb over the inside of his wrist. “midterms are kicking my ass,” he huffs out. jae gives brian a small smile, an effort in reassurance, but it comes out just this side of self-deprecating enough for brian to fight down a frown. 

“you sure?” brian prods because he knows what school-tired looks like on jae and this - the slumped shoulder, the restless fidgeting, the too-bright spark in jae’s eyes - it all leans far closer to another, more dangerous kind of stress. “the reserve is only an hour ride away, hyung. i could ask dowoonie to cover my morning shift at the café tomorrow and we could drive down, if you need to.”

“no,” jae shakes his head in answer and even that small gesture looks like it pains him - brian tightens his grip on jae’s hand almost on reflex. “no, it’s too much trouble. you have your music theory exam the day after and you need to cramm.” he gives brian a tired smile, squeezes his hand in return when brian opens his mouth to refute. “it’s okay. seriously, i’m fine,” he insists at brian’s frown, and brian lets it be. 

he has learned how to pick his battles by now; knows that this one he won’t win. 

 

by the time brian’s done with midterms jae’s magic is wild enough for it to have become a problem. 

jae, of course, swears that he’s got it under control, but by the second time he reaches for a mug and the poor thing breaks into pieces as soon as jae’s fingertips touch blue ceramic wonpil shoots brian a look that plainly states he very much does not think the same.

“hyung,” brian says, more forceful this time because the rings under jae’s eyes are colored a deep purple now and just this morning when jae kissed him goodbye brian felt his skin itch with unbound energy right where jae’s lips touched his. “please, let me take you to the reserve.”

“today’s my last exam, babe,” is all jae gives for an answer, voice cracked through from a tired yawn. “i’m fine.”

“you’re not,” brian sighs, pointedly looking at the english ivy twisting around jae’s and wonpil’s dorm. the last time brian was here the plant had been confined to the window still; now the ivy is wrangled all around their living room, crawling up the curtains and under their doors. the last time brian was here was a mere four hours ago. 

jae blinks at the ivy, looking like he had just realised his house was being overrun by greenery, and then grimaces. still, he waves brian’s concerns away with a tired shrug, kisses his temple in a way that has brian’s hair standing up from the magic static the tender touch leaves behind, and then heads to class to write his last exam. 

“you better do something about this,” wonpil threatens when the door clicks shut behind jae. “i can barely brew my potions with him around. he’s like an overcharged battery. it’s annoying.”

“i’m on it,” brian answers, doesn’t miss the worried tone in the younger witch’s tone. “he’s just - very stubborn.”

“oh, i know,” wonpil laughs. “but that’s _your_ problem now. this is what you get for dating a witch.”

 

brian picks jae up at the entrance of the humanities building. the older looks on edge, gritted teeth and clenched fists; not even the relief that comes from having finished his last midterms seems to have lessened the burden sitting heavy on his shoulders.

“c’mon,” brian says as he steers jae away by the grip he has on the older’s elbow towards the parking lot. jae is too out of it to care much when brian herds him into his old red truck - a hand-me-down from a friend of his who had to move overseas and didn’t see much choice but to leave his car with brian, who cares for the worn thing like a father cares for his child. 

jae sleeps all the way to the reserve. today being tuesday and well past rush hours means they don’t meet much traffic and manage to make the usual one-hour drive in about forty minutes. 

when brian pulls up to the edge of the reserve he takes a moment to watch how the sunlight streaming in from the dusty window highlights jae’s blond hair into golden, brushes a few wayward strands out of jae’s face with soft fingers, and then climbs down from the truck to help jae out. 

the older is still a little drowsy from sleep, enough so that what little control he still has over his magic slips just that bit more loose. flowers sprout under jae’s shoes as he walks, budding daisies and pale blue forget-me-nots; a trail of soft color following blindly after him. even the trees themselves seem to reach down towards jae. their reddish leaves curl down until they arch their branches, drawn to him helplessly - as inevitable as rain hitting earth, as inevitable as brian asking for just one more kiss. 

brian leads them towards a small patch of trees far enough from the main entrance to offer some privacy. no one comes by the reserve around this time of the year - the weather too harsh, the usually blooming grounds much too yellowed from autumn's harsh grip to offer much of a view - but it’s better to be safe than sorry.

jae sits down on the grass, takes off his shoes in spite of the cold wind that curls lazily around the golden hills. brian stands a few paces behind him and watches as jae rests his hands on top of the grass and twists his hands around the wilted blades. he breathes in. breathes out. 

let’s go. 

jae’s shoulders slump as the magic slips out of him like air leaving his lungs - and god, no matter how many times brian watches jae like this it always takes him a few moments to calm his racing heart; the traitorous thing always skips one two three beats when he sees jae setting his magic free, breathing life back into the ground, painting yellow into green; a stolen breath of spring bleeding into an autumn-hollowed ground. 

brian doesn’t know how much time passes until jae finally stands again. the older shakes his head like he’s ridding himself of the last grapples of sleep and then turns to look at brian. there’s a golden smile playing on his lips that’s as unburneded as the swaying of the budding flowers blooming all around them and when brian kisses it right off jae’s lips he feels no shiver of magic, just the sweet relief of a small big thank you.


	2. the apartment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i promise i’m actually working on other/different fics but life is stress rn and i wanted fluff so i wrote some myself

wonpil’s and jae’s apartment is a mismatch of odd things they’ve collected over time and peeling paint left over from a bad shot at a makeover. it’s small, like most college dorms tend to be. they’ve got a living room just big enough to hold two refurbished couches (one brown, the other ever-changing because wonpil somehow spelled it to shift shades of color according to his mood) and an old tv jae bought on sale. there’s a closet-sized kitchen of smudged white linoleum that spills over into the rest of the house because jae is a messy witch and always leaves jars of dried leaves and pewter cauldrons still full of potions goop laying around. two bedrooms. one bathroom. an off-white window brian’s somehow always being asked to fix. 

home, in a few chosen words. 

the first time brian stepped inside jae’s dorm he had been too preoccupied making sure jae wasn’t dead to pay much attention to the odd assortment of knicknacks cluttering the apartment - now, he’s quite aware of them, fond even. 

brian likes jae’s apartment; it looks lived in, feels more like home and less like a house. brian’s not above talking jae into spending a night in just lounging around, watching some movie and trying not to miss any of the action scenes because the fern wonpil keeps sitting next to the tv insists on growing sideways and across the screen. 

“it’s okay, i guess,” jae huffs when brian makes an off-hand remark about how homely his dorm looks - much more than brian’s own certainly, who still has a few cardboard boxes sitting near his hallway even two years after moving in.

his nose is scrunched as he stares down at brian over the rim of his glasses, scarf half unwound around his neck and cheeks still ruddy red from the cold of the outside air they just fled from. “wonpil keeps burning incense though, and it makes my nose all itchy. i don’t know why you like it so much, honestly.”

brian laughs warmly and reaches out to unknot the woolen scarf from jae’s neck, takes the older’s hands in his to warm them up when he sees his fingertips tinted blue. “dunno,” he answers. “it's just - nice.”

huffing again, jae answers, “your dorm is bigger though. and you have no annoying roommate.”

there’s a disgruntled, “hey!” that comes through the kitchen door before wonpil pokes his head out and scowls at jae. “watch yourself, hyung,” he warns. “you won’t get dinner if you keep on being mean to me.” 

“brian will take me out to eat then, won’t you, babe?” jae turns amused eyes to him, smile soft and warm, but the last time brian crossed wonpil like this the younger witch turned his hair pink for a week and even though brian actually ended up liking the color he doesn’t want to find out what he’ll do next. 

so he says, “sorry, hyung,” and grins at the affronted look jae gives him in return before ducking into the kitchen to help wonpil finish dinner. 

 

as much as brian likes jae’s apartment, he has to admit that it was bound to end up a little worse for wear considering the people that it houses. 

a little may be a bit short of a word, actually. 

“so, uh, wonpil kinda blew up our apartment?” jae’s voice is muffled from his shitty phone connection but brian can still distinctly hear wonpil’s insulted _not me! it was you, hyung!_ that follows. “can i crash at your place tonight?”

brian blinks, regroups, and then asks, “are you guys okay?”

“yeah, no, we’re fine,” jae replies easily, though by the the way wonpil screeches in the background brian doesn’t think the other witch quite agrees with him. “but my bedroom got a little bit uh - charred? and campus security says it’s better not to sleep there tonight. so, can i sleep over?”

“sure, yeah,” brian answers readily, grabbing his bag and shuffling out of the café - his shift just over - calling out a goodbye to dowoon on his way out. “is wonpil crashing here too?”

“wonpil? no, what do you think. he’s staying at sungjin’s.” 

“cool, okay,” brian swallows, thinks of his cold apartment and his empty fridge. “i’ll met you there. i’m gonna drop by ajumma aerum’s place for some take-out.”

“sweet!” jae crows before he bids him a quick goodbye and hangs up. 

 

when jae comes over, brian already has the food spread out into two plates and a movie paused on the main menu waiting for them on the tv screen. 

“what happened exactly?” brian asks the older when jae kicks off his shoes and plants a soft kiss on the crown of brian’s head in greeting. “you look awful.”

“gee, thanks,” jae grimaces but frankly, it’s true. his blond hair - darker now that the dye is starting to wash off - is covered in soot. so are his cheeks, his forehead, too. his glasses. the clothes he’s wearing are a little burned at the edges. his white shirt is missing half a sleeve. 

“i was just trying a new spell thing,” jae answers as he plops down on the couch next to brian and slips an arm over his shoulders, the other coming down to grab for his plate. “it did not go as i expected it to.”

“i can see that,” brian deadpans before he presses play and the movie starts rolling. 

it’s only after the big fight is over, the movie finished, and they are both huddled in bed that brian learns what exactly happened to make jae look like he took a tumble on a pile of ash just for the hell of it. they’re laying on their sides, facing each other; it’s uncomfortable, really, but neither of them are willing to compromise if it means losing this. this being: the way jae locks his fingers with brian’s own as careful as he is hesitant and hunches down so he can rest his head near brian’s chest and hear his heart beat beat beat in rhythm with his own. 

“hey,” jae murmurs soft and then softer still when he feels brian shift to look at him better. “wanna see what i was trying to do before?”

“no thanks, i like my apartment just fine as it is,” brian says, a lie, obviously because brian doesn’t hate his apartment but he doesn’t exactly like it much either. it’s too cold, too dark, and despite his best efforts to make it look like home it still feels impersonal; four walls with no heart. 

“c’mon,” jae rolls his eyes. “i’ll get it right this time. trust me.” 

and brian shouldn’t, really, not when jae’s magic is still so fickle and volatile. but jae looks determined in the soft light flickering in from the window and eager in the uptick up his mouth so brian breathes out a quiet yes and can’t find it in himself to regret it when jae all but beams back at him. 

the sheets rustle when jae shifts on his back so that he’s facing the ceiling, forehead scrunched in concentration, an odd look in his eyes that leans too close to this side of starbright. 

it's only when jae whispers a proud, “look” that brian remembers to take his eyes away from jae - still one of the hardest things to do, he’s found - and looks up at the ceiling like he’s asked and _oh_. 

oh,there is a dark blue stealing softly into his room, a cloud of night clinging from his ceiling and a scattering of white yellow stars zipping all across it. “what…” brian starts but then jae stretches out his hand and and splays his fingers out, reminiscent of a wave hello. color bursts like fireworks all around them - red orange blue turning into purple pink and back to the start before they come down falling like rain and starwishes.

“you always say you stare up at your ceiling whenever you can’t sleep,” jae says, and it’s the careful shrug that belies him and tells brian how nervous the older really is. “i figured the least i could do is make it something interesting to stare up to.”

“you...” brian’s words fail him then, caught in his throat at the sight of a puzzle piece made of sky and a dotted moon shining bright. he tightens his fingers around jae’s own and grips the hand he’s holding close, closer still. “thank you.”

“it’s nothing,” jae says; nothing, as if he hadn’t just brought an entire galaxy to swirling blue life in the blink of an eye just because he didn’t want brian to be lonely in the nights he’s not here himself. “i’m just glad it worked.” 

“so am i,” brian breathes back, thinks of a too cold apartment now lit bright blue, thinks of home, and hopes jae knows it’s not because he didn’t blew his apartment up, hopes jae knows he means _thank you_ and i love you all at once. 

thinks the way jae kisses him softly under their little piece of moonlit sky means he does.

**Author's Note:**

> you guys can always find me on[ tumblr](https://jahehyung.tumblr.com/) and now on [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/ttamarrindo) too; thank you for reading <3


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